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I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international
consultants. About living in Italy, the Veneto area near Venice; in Indonesia,
central Java. Why we love the southeast of the United States and moved back from
Italy. Our love for gardening, the botanical way. Sharing with you our manifold
treasures from exotic places and even offering several at Spectrenoir:http://ebay.to/2xI69uc, for others to enjoy. As well as high end silver items from
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Monday, February 11, 2013

{Little Me Grocery Shopping in the Frost & Candy of my Childhood}

On Tuesday, January 15 of 1957, I had to do my usual chore of Grocery Shopping, in the Frost. This was Little Me back than in Horst, The Netherlands, with typical low skies and kind of foggy weather. Standing next to the driveway fence, at the age of almost 6. My Mom was pregnant with child #6 and my brother Harry was born 3 weeks later. It always fell upon me, to do the shopping chores, on foot or on my kick-bike. I do remember getting frosty white fingers when toting the heavy shopping bag home with me for one kilometer or 0.6 mile one way over a cinder street on foot. That's what life was like, back than. A kick-bike is no good on icy cinder roads!

It was quite an adventure to go to our local Albert Heijn grocery store.

Do you remember that they had to weigh the beans, the flour, the sugar etc. and taking it out of those wooden bins into a paper bag?

This photo below, I just bought and down loaded, from Nationale Beeldbank in The Netherlands and it shows the very first Albert Heijn grocery store in The Netherlands. The one I walked to, looked very similar.

If you would like to have a better view, look at this video clip from the→(click) Beeldbank in The Netherlands with a good showing of the interior at such a local grocer kruidenier in the 50s.

This was before Super Markets came along...

Every time when I went shopping I did get a paper cone with candy. Most of the time it were cinnamon or peppermint cushions.

My younger siblings were eagerly waiting for my return as I did bring home this loot of candy.

At those days there were no sweets for us otherwise.

These are the old fashioned cinnamon cushions or kaneelkussentjes in Dutch.

Dearest Theresa,That is indeed a sad reality! Back than you could totally trust your surroundings and adults did watch out for each other's kids.Glad that at least I grew up that way and keep fond memories forever.Hugs,Mariette

What a sweet little girl you were, Mariette, and a good little daughter and sister, too! I love your little store to shop in and it does bring back some memories for me, too. I would ride my little bike to the store for my Mother and buy milk and bread - 25 cents for each back then. There were glass bins of what we called 'penny candy' that we could choose from, very similar to yours. I always bought the red hots and sugar babies and bazooka bubblegum! I was a little older - age of 9 - with 4 little sisters. Lovely memories you have stirred up, Mariette! Hugs xoxo

Dearest Karen,Guess, being the eldest plays a role here too. I got my first bike at the age of 11. Always went to school on foot, the full 2 kilometers or 1.2 miles and that four times a day as we did come home for lunch break. That was a lot of walking each day! Sweet memories indeed; it is the very fabric our lives is woven with...Hugs,Mariette

I used to do the shopping for my mother in a grocery, the owners were María and Miguel and then I had to buy the dairy milk in the milk shop and the fish in the fish shop. I spent the whole morning when I was on holidays doing the shopping.

Lovely you look so cold and I wonder if the heavily looking bag mght be a shopping bag.

Oh, this post reminded me that I was doing same chores when little. Lovely to read that your siblings were waiting for you to come home with the loot of candy. I did remember my mother gave me small extra money to buy some sweets. Yes, back then really safe for me to do these chores with no traffic danger with kind neighbors and store owners.

Dearest Miyako,Yes indeed that IS my sturdy and heavy shopping bag! Even more heavy when filled up with groceries and I had to tote it home. So glad to warm my cold hands near the stove once I got home... Indeed times have changed and not always for the better.Love and hugs to you likewise.Mariette

Hi Mariette, You were so little to be walking all alone...but then in those days life was safer. What a dear child you were. What a special treat to get candy at the store, I remember my Mom making candy for us when we were children. I love love your camellia's they are one of my most favorite flowers. I have two camellia bushes in my front yard and they are not doing well at all, I do not think since they have not produced any flowers yet this year and I see other plants blooming. Maybe mine will be a late bloomer. Always enjoyable visiting you. Have a sweet Valentine week! Elizabeth

Dearest Elizabeth,Guess I got raised to become very independent at a rather young age. Not much time to play but participating in the serious things of life. Loved to see Mom happy and I got her praise of course! Siblings happy and after my hands got warmed up again I felt great. Nature can be harsh on our shrubs and plants. Our daffodils don't bloom this year... only green but no buds. Guess that is the price from such hot and dry summers.Happy Valentine week to you as well.Mariette

Dearest Mariette,So sweet memories, I did grocery shopping as well when I was little. It was such a beautiful memories. My mom bought me a small bicycle . there is no problem sending little kids to go for shopping. The reality now especially in advanced countries quite dangerous to send children outside,Children kidnapping etc,quite scary.

Oh my old traditional grocery shop such a fond memories, the still fascinatingmy mom had a shop like thatthanks for sharing Mariette.have a nice weekhug

Hello Mariette, You have presented a pleasing picture of a old-fashioned way of shopping that luckily is still within living memory. I have seen the peppermint cushions, but not the cinnamon ones, which I would probably prefer.--Road to Parnassus

Hello again, I just tried the link you sent, and got it to work (I had to switch to Internet Explorer). A nice recreation of the old grocery stores and what it was like to shop in them. No problem understanding it even not knowing the language--in fact, I enjoyed listening to the Dutch cadences. Thanks, Jim

Dearest Mariette... to have such wonderful memories captured forever in one's thoughts is wonderful to have darling photos priceless!! I always enjoy these wonderful travel back in time posts. I know from your writings life was not easy for you ~ yet you raised yourself (and your siblings) and grew into one of the most beautiful (inside and out) ladies I am blessed to have come into my life. Wishing you a wonderful week..xo C. (HHL)

Dearest Celia,Growing up post WWII was no luxury but there were numerous happy moments. Thanks for your kind compliments. So glad to have met you as you are a true role model after all you lived through.Happy Valentine's week to you both!Mariette

You look so precious with your little hairdo Mariette! Those were the days, when children could safely walk the streets. In England, my mom would send me to the Green Grocers with her order book...I remember feeling so grown up even though I was only about 6! We also had a little sweet shop and I used to get sherbert pips in a paper cone, good memories! This was the 70's though and in small town England so who knows, maybe kids there still get to do those things!

Dearest Victoria,Yes, in England it's called Green Grocers and yes, Mom wrote her listing in the very same order book. Once a month that got paid off. A matter of mutual trust; all the way and safe walking for a little child on his/her own... The world we live in has changed and not always for the better.Hugs to you,Mariette

Dearest Mariette,I enjoyed your story from your early childhood memories. I also have very good childhood memories. You look so young in the photo and the bag would have been very heavy to carry back home. The grocery shop is very different to today's grocery shop. It would have been very personalized in the service back then compared to today's busy lifestyle. If we wanted milk or rice we had to go to the shops to buy. I can remember that we grew all of our vegetables and fruit at home. We could pick the fresh fruit from the tree and eat it straight away. These days I would not dream of sending a young child to the shops unless accompanied by an adult. Hugs and love to you always!

Dearest Michiko,Yes, times are different and far more hectic and a lot less personal! My Dad too grew all his veggies and fruits, also veggies for the auction as a market gardener. It was a healthy lifestyle back than and a very close knit family with a large safety net for children.Hugs and love and admiration to you dear lady!Mariette